Welding is a common manufacturing process used to join, or to separate, metal work pieces. Arc welding is a common type of welding method. An arc welding system typically comprises a power supply coupled to a welding gun or torch housing an electrode. A welding cable may be used to couple the welding gun to the power supply. A conductive cable and a clamp may be used to couple a work piece to the power supply. A circuit between the power supply and work piece is completed when the electrode is placed against, or in proximity to, the work piece, producing an electric arc between the electrode and the work piece. The heat of the electric arc is concentrated on the work piece, or pieces, to be joined. The heat of the arc melts the metal piece, or pieces. A filler material may be added to the molten metal. The molten mass cools and solidifies when the arc is removed, forming the weld.
There are many different types of arc welding, such as metal-inert-gas (“MIG”) welding and submerged arc welding. In MIG and submerged arc welding, a metal wire is used as the electrode. Additionally, the electrode wire may act as filler material for the weld. The wire is fed from a wire feeder coupled to the power supply. In MIG welding, the electrode wire is shielded at the point of contact by an inert gas. In submerged arc welding, a powdery flux is used to shield the electrode wire at the point of contact. The inert gas and flux shields the molten metal at the point of contact from outside contaminants and gases that may react with the molten material. Non-inert gases, such as CO2, also may be used in MIG welding systems.
The wire and gas typically are fed through a welding gun having a welding cable. The welding cable receives the wire from a wire feeder and gas from a gas cylinder. The welding cable also has additional conductors to assist the wire in conducting power from the power source. The welding gun typically has a handle and neck that are used to direct gas or flux and wire towards a work piece. A retaining nut typically is used to secure a neck to a connector coupled to the welding cable. The connector enables electricity to flow from the welding cable to an inner portion of the neck. If the retaining nut loosens, the area of contact between the neck and the connector and/or welding cable will decrease. This increases the electrical resistance between the neck and the welding cable. In some applications, such as with electrical currents above 400 amps, the increase in electrical resistance results in the production of a substantial amount of resistive heating. The heat from the resistive heating produced at the interface may heat up the handle to the point where it cannot be held. Consequently, it may be desirable to wrench tighten the retaining nut so that neck does not come loose. However, hand-tightening the retaining nut to the connector is sufficient in many applications and does not require a tool to perform.
There exists then a need for a method of securing a neck to a welding implement that provides an assembler with the option of configuring the welding implement for either wrench-tightening or hand-tightening a securing nut for the neck.